{"id":5102,"date":"2026-04-21T12:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T12:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/e-gui\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:31:12","slug":"e-gui","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/","title":{"rendered":"E Gui"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5102\" class=\"elementor elementor-5102 elementor-1215\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">E Gui, ghost of the Chinese tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>E Gui is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> of the Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>Hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">folk belief<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p><p>E-Gui (\u9913\u9b3c, hungry ghosts) are a class concept of Chinese Buddhism with roots in the Indian preta doctrine. They appear with thin necks, enormous bellies, and insatiable hunger as a form of punishment for greed and stinginess in a previous life.<\/p><p>The Zhongyuan Festival (Ghost Month, 7th lunar month) is <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Handed over to the sacred through a religious act and thereby set apart from the everyday.\" tabindex=\"0\">dedicated<\/span> to remembering them, and during this period Buddhist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> hold <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The concrete object or food offered to a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> rites to ease the suffering of these beings.<\/p><h2 id=\"dif-egui\">E-Gui in the Yulanpen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A regulated sequence of symbolic acts with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span><\/h2><p>E-Gui (\u9913\u9b3c, &#8220;hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span>&#8220;) is a special level of existence in the <strong>Buddhist scheme of the six realms<\/strong> (<em>liu dao<\/em>).<\/p><p>Whoever is karmically burdened in a former life by <strong>stinginess, greed, or the theft of food<\/strong> is reborn in the Pretaloka, the realm of the hungry ghosts. Characteristics: <strong>swollen bellies, needle-thin necks, no gullet<\/strong> through which food can pass, eternal suffering from hunger.<\/p><p>The paradigmatic story of redemption is <strong>Mulian rescues his mother<\/strong> (Yulanpen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">sutra<\/span>, ca. 270 CE): the Buddha&#8217;s disciple Mulian sees his deceased mother in the Pretaloka but cannot help her directly.<\/p><p>The Buddha advises him to feed the <strong>Sangha<\/strong> with food on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month; the transfer of merit frees the mother. From this developed the annual <strong>Yulanpen Festival<\/strong> (Japanese <em>Obon<\/em>, Korean <em>Baekjung<\/em>) with food <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> and lantern rituals for the hungry ghosts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Ghost: Incorporeal or semi-corporeal entity, the deceased, nature beings, house spirits, or threshold guardians. Acts in everyday life, often bound to places or families.\">Ghost<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/china\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religion of gods, spirits, and the people: Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian.\">China<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/spirits-of-the-dead\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"The deceased whose spirits continue to act in this world, house spirits, ancestors, restless dead.\">Ghost of the Dead<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4561\" alt=\"E Gui - ghosts from the Chinese tradition, historical and illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">E Gui<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>E Gui (\u9913\u9b3c), &#8220;hungry ghosts,&#8221; are the Chinese counterpart to the Buddhist <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/preta\/\">Preta<\/a>. Arriving in China from India through the Buddhist mission, they developed their own tradition there, one that merged with the Daoist and Confucian ancestor <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span>.<\/p><p>An entire month of the Chinese calendar is dedicated to them: the seventh lunar month, the &#8220;Hungry Ghost Month&#8221; (<em>Yulan Yue<\/em>).<\/p><p>During this month, especially on the 15th day (Yulanpen Festival), the gates of the underworld open according to <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and stories across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>. E Gui come into the world of the living and seek food. Believers set up offering altars in front of their houses and in public places, burn paper money and paper gifts, and recite sutras.<\/p><p>In Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwanese cities, the festival is one of the most visible large-scale religious events of the year. The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> of the saving son-mother relationship (the Mulian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span>) stands at its center and connects Buddhist teaching with the Confucian ethic of filial <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The lived religious attitude and practice of a person.\" tabindex=\"0\">piety<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">At a Glance: E Gui<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Hungry ghost, a rebirth sequence of karmic greed<br>Origin: Buddhist preta concept from India, integrated into Chinese culture<br>Texts: Ullambana <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">sutra<\/span>, Mulian bianwen texts, Yuli literature<br>Period: fully developed from the Tang era onward, up to the present<br>Central festival: Hungry Ghost Festival, 15th day of the 7th lunar month<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klaerung1777529112 e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klaerung1777529112\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klar1777529112 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"klar1777529112\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em><strong>Distinction from Gui:<\/strong> In contrast to <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/gui\/\">Gui<\/a>, the general Chinese collective term for ghosts of the dead, the E-Gui are the specific subclass of <strong>hungry ghosts<\/strong>, beings whose karmic burden condemns them to insatiable hunger; in the Buddhist-Chinese Yulanpen Festival they have their own ritual function.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Historical Context<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Ullambana <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">sutra<\/span> was translated into Chinese in the 3rd century CE. Mulian legends appear as bianwen texts from the Tang era onward (7th to 10th century).<\/p><p>The Yuli Bao Chao (Song era, 12th century) systematizes the hell and E-Gui <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The conception of the structure and order of the world within a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span>. Folk tales of the Ming and Qing periods. Modern Hungry Ghost Festival practice across all of East Asia.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Distribution<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, with especially active festivals. The Japanese Obon as a sister festival (with the gaki concept). The Korean Baekjung tradition. The Chinese diaspora in North America and Europe celebrates it locally.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the Sources<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Ullambana <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">sutra<\/span>, Mulian bianwen collections (Dunhuang manuscripts), the Yuli Bao Chao, Gui Yuan Liu Zhi literature (Tang-era notebooks), and modern ethnography on Hungry Ghost festivals.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and Spellings<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Chinese:<\/strong> \u9913\u9b3c (<em>\u00e8 gu\u01d0<\/em>, &#8220;hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span>&#8220;).<br>Sanskrit: <em>preta<\/em> (basic term).<br>Japanese: <em>Gaki<\/em>.<br>Korean: <em>Agwi<\/em>.<br>Distinction from Gui in general: E Gui is a specific class, a hungry ghost, not simply a phantom or <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ancestor venerated in many cultures as a protective power.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancestor<\/span>.<\/p><p>The Chinese translation \u9913\u9b3c makes the central characteristic, hunger, into the name. While in India &#8220;preta&#8221; originally referred to all the deceased and was only later narrowed to the hungry-ghost class, the Chinese translation goes directly to the specific meaning.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Appearance<\/strong><\/p><p>Like the preta: a bloated belly, a throat as thin as the eye of a needle, a flaming mouth, thin limbs.<\/p><p>Especially vivid in Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span>, panoramas of hell show throngs of E Gui around <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity to express thanks, a request, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> tables, unable to eat. The iconographic tradition remained stable from the Tang through the Song and into the Ming and Qing periods.<\/p><p><strong>Behavior<\/strong><\/p><p>Eternally hungry, constantly searching for food. It comes to <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity to express thanks, a request, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offering<\/span> altars but can eat nothing, taking in only smell and smoke. In the seventh lunar month, E Gui leaves the underworld and roams the world of the living.<\/p><p><strong>Sphere of Action<\/strong><\/p><p>The realm of hell (<em>Di Yu<\/em>) as its location. Swarming out onto the earth in the seventh lunar month. Especially at the places of the deceased: cemeteries, cremation sites, former homes. Gathered at offering altars during the festival days.<\/p><p><strong>Mythological Context<\/strong><\/p><p>Karmic rebirth out of stinginess, the misuse of alms, and religious unfaithfulness. The duration in the Pretaloka can be very long. The only hope: the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity to express thanks, a request, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> of the surviving relatives, especially through the Sangha (the Mulian model).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: E Gui<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of E Gui at a glance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">E Gui's Origin<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A karmic rebirth sequence stemming from stinginess, greed, and the misuse of alms. In the Chinese reception of the Buddhist preta concept, merged with the local ancestor <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of religious acts of veneration for a deity or holy figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">E Gui's Target Group<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The deceased with corresponding <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, the law of cause and effect of action: every deed acts back upon subsequent existences.\" tabindex=\"0\">karma<\/span>; in the festival context, all the uncared-for dead of the surrounding area. Indirectly also the living, as an admonition to generosity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Form<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A bloated belly, a throat as thin as the eye of a needle, a flaming mouth, thin limbs. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">Classical<\/span> Chinese paintings of hell depict the figure in great detail.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">E Gui's Effect<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Eternal torment of hunger and thirst. Unable to eat, even though food seems within reach. Swarming out to offering altars during the festival season.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">E Gui's Defense<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Not defense, but feeding and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span>: offerings, the burning of paper money, the recitation of sutras, Sangha <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A gift to a deity to express thanks, a request, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>. The Ullambana Festival as the institutionalized large-scale form.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Counterparts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/preta\/\">Preta<\/a> (the Indian original), <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/pishacha\/\">Pishacha<\/a> (the hunger <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span>), Gaki (Japan), <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/edimmu\/\">Edimmu<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Festival and Practice<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Yulanpen \/ Hungry Ghost Festival<\/h3><p>The 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Families set up offering tables with rice, fruit, tea, and wine. Paper money (<em>zhi qian<\/em>) and paper gifts are burned.<\/p><p>Public places have stages for &#8220;<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> operas&#8221; (stands without seats for spectators, since the ghosts sit in front). Buddhist and Daoist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> offer rituals with mass appeal.<\/p><h3>The Mulian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span><\/h3><p>The central <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins, and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span>: Maudgalyayana (Chinese Mulian) sees his mother in the preta state with supernatural sight. He tries to bring her food, but it burns in her mouth. The Buddha teaches him that only the collective power of the Sangha&#8217;s offerings can save her. From this comes the Ullambana Festival.<\/p><h3>Everyday Practice<\/h3><p>Outside the festival: an ancestor table at home with a daily preparation of tea. At the edge of the family meal, a small plate for the E Gui. No paper gifts are left inside one&#8217;s own home (they are taken outdoors).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reception and the Present<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Regional festival practice:<\/strong> Hong Kong with huge offering altars along the roadsides and parades of paper figures. Singapore with <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> operas in all districts. Taipei with state promotion of the festival as cultural heritage. Each region has its own emphases.<\/p><p><strong>Tourism and change:<\/strong> The Hungry Ghost Festival is increasingly marketed for tourism, yet it remains religiously central. Younger generations maintain it with new forms (online gifts, digital alternatives to paper money). Folk <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span> in dialogue with modernity.<\/p><p><strong>Popular culture:<\/strong> Modern Taiwanese and Hong Kong horror films adapt E-Gui motifs. The Japanese gaki appears in anime (Hozuki no Reitetsu as a comedy of hell). International horror literature takes up the hunger <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc2466a3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpc2466a3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp690b776 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp690b776\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">E Gui in the Buddhist System of Rebirth<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp0d9763c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp0d9763c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp851e2d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp851e2d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The <em>E Gui<\/em>, the &#8220;hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span>,&#8221; was shaped and systematized in Chinese religious history above all by Buddhism. In the Buddhist worldview, it denotes one of the six realms of existence into which a being can be reborn according to its karma.<\/p><p>The realm of the hungry ghosts, in Sanskrit <em>preta<\/em>, lies below human existence but above the hells. Rebirth as an E Gui is regarded as the consequence of greed, stinginess, and avarice in a former life.<\/p><p>The suffering of the E Gui consists in an insatiable, never satisfied craving. Buddhist <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> has coined a striking image for this: a being with an enormous, distended belly and a tiny, needle-thin neck or mouth through which hardly any food can pass.<\/p><p>In some descriptions, food that an E Gui reaches turns into fire, pus, or excrement as soon as it tries to eat it. The hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> is thus the embodiment of a greed that cannot satisfy itself.<\/p><p>This system has a clear ethical sense. The E Gui is not someone arbitrarily damned, but the result of a moral connection of cause and effect. Moreover, existence as a hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> is not eternal; once the corresponding karma has been worked off, rebirth into a higher realm can take place.<\/p><p>The E Gui thus stands within a didactic context that is meant to guide its hearers toward moderation and generosity. <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/buddhism\/\">Buddhism<\/a> also knows related ideas in the Tibetan and Southeast Asian traditions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3963f01 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp3963f01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3db8bfd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp3db8bfd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Mulian Rescues His Mother: The Key Myth<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp88f68ef e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp88f68ef\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpb2abf02 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpb2abf02\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important narrative about the hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> for China is the story of <em>Mulian<\/em>, a disciple of the Buddha who frees his mother, reborn as a hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span>, from her suffering.<\/p><p>The narrative goes back to the <em>Yulanpen <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">sutra<\/span><\/em> and became extraordinarily popular in China; in the Tang era, extensive popular versions arose, the so-called <em>bianwen<\/em>, transformation texts, which are among the earliest narrative texts of Chinese literature in vernacular language.<\/p><p>The content: Mulian, endowed with supernatural abilities, searches for his deceased mother and finds her among the hungry ghosts, where she suffers severe hunger because she was stingy and unloving during her lifetime. Mulian tries to give her food, but the food burns in her mouth.<\/p><p>He turns to the Buddha, who explains to him that he cannot redeem his mother alone. Instead, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, he is to present gifts to the monastic community; through this communal transfer of merit, the mother is freed from her ghostly state.<\/p><p>This narrative has a twofold meaning. Religiously, it establishes the concept of the transfer of merit: the living can influence the fate of deceased relatives through pious works. Culturally, the story connected the Buddhist idea with the central Confucian virtue of filial piety, <em>xiao<\/em>.<\/p><p>Mulian is the exemplary son who does everything even for his mother suffering in the beyond. It was precisely this connection of the Buddhist doctrine of redemption with Confucian family ethics that made the narrative so enduringly successful in China and firmly anchored the E Gui in the Chinese religious consciousness.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp2a18edd e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp2a18edd\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp6942562 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp6942562\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Ghost Festival and the Feeding of the Hungry Ghosts<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp6c5c3d5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp6c5c3d5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpb2986b5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpb2986b5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Out of the Mulian complex and related ideas, the <em>Zhongyuan<\/em> Festival, the Ghost Festival, developed in China and is observed on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month; the entire month is regarded as the &#8220;Ghost Month.&#8221; During this time, according to the widespread belief, the gates of the underworld open, and the dead, among them especially the hungry ghosts, are permitted to return to the world of the living.<\/p><p>At the center of the festival stands the provision for these ghosts. Families set out food, fruit, and drinks, and burn incense and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbolic<\/span> money. Particular attention is given to the hungry ghosts without descendants, the &#8220;ownerless&#8221; dead, whom no family cares for and who are therefore regarded as especially dangerous.<\/p><p>Public offering tables are set up for them, sometimes with large quantities of food.<\/p><p>In some regions this includes the ritual feeding, in which monks transform the food through recitation and mudras so that it can pass through the narrow gullet of the E Gui; these rites draw on Buddhist texts for the liberation of the hungry ghosts.<\/p><p>The festival has a balancing purpose. The hungry ghosts are considered unhappy and potentially harmful, because their want drives them to encroach. By providing for them abundantly for a limited period, the living ease their suffering and at the same time ward off misfortune from themselves.<\/p><p>It is a regulated encounter between the worlds: the dead are admitted, hosted, and, after the month has passed, sent off again.<\/p><p>The E Gui is thus not only a didactic figure of the texts, but the addressee of a broad, annually recurring ritual practice that remains alive to this day in mainland China and in the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9d67b10 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp9d67b10\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp55afeca elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp55afeca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hungry Ghosts Between Buddhism, Daoism, and Folk Religion<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp83c610a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp83c610a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp2827d06 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp2827d06\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The E Gui is a good example of how various religious traditions overlap in China without the faithful seeing any contradiction in it. The hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> is originally a Buddhist concept that came to China with the Sanskrit term <em>preta<\/em> and was translated with the Chinese word <em>gui<\/em>.<\/p><p><em>Gui<\/em>, however, is an older, broader Chinese term that generally denotes ghosts of the dead and phantoms and is deeply rooted in the native religion.<\/p><p>Through this translation, the Buddhist preta merged with the Chinese idea of the discontented dead. In the native logic, a person becomes a dangerous <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> if they are not properly buried, have no descendants to make offerings to them, or have died a violent death.<\/p><p>The hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span> understood in this way has fallen into this state less through their own karma than through the failure of the living.<\/p><p><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious-philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span>, for its part, developed its own rituals for the redemption of the suffering dead and held its own ceremonies at the Ghost Festival, so that Buddhist and Daoist rites were practiced side by side or interwoven with one another.<\/p><p>For a precise understanding, it is therefore important to distinguish the layers. There is the sharply defined Buddhist E Gui of the teaching texts, with the logic of rebirth and the ethical justification through greed.<\/p><p>Alongside it stands the folk-religious hungry <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">ghost<\/span>, who is above all a neglected, ownerless dead person. Both bear the same name and are provided for at the same festivals, yet belong to different systems of thought.<\/p><p>Scholarship describes this intermingling as typical of Chinese religiosity, in which Buddhist, Daoist, and folk elements are experienced not separately but as a practical unity. The E Gui thus stands at the intersection of three traditions, and it is precisely this multilayered quality that makes it so revealing for the history of religion.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Recommended internal links:<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/china\/\">China (Daoism and folk belief)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/gui\/\">Gui<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/yaoguai\/\">Yaoguai<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/jiangshi\/\">Jiangshi<\/a>, <a href=\"\/en\/huli-jing\/\">Huli Jing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/preta\/\">Preta<\/a> (the original), <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/pishacha\/\">Pishacha<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/edimmu\/\">Edimmu<\/a><\/li><li>The Mulian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span> and the Ullambana <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Hinduism and Buddhism, a teaching text in concise form.\" tabindex=\"0\">sutra<\/span><\/li><li>Hungry Ghost Festival<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sources and Literature<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p>A selection of central works on E Gui:<\/p><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Johnson, David (ed.): <em><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A regulated sequence of symbolic acts with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ritual<\/span> Opera, Operatic <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A regulated sequence of symbolic acts with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ritual<\/span>. &#8220;Mu-lien Rescues His Mother&#8221; in Chinese Popular Culture<\/em>. Berkeley 1989.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Cole, Alan: <em>Mothers and Sons in Chinese Buddhism<\/em>. Stanford 1998.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Yu, Anthony C.: <em>State and Religion in China<\/em>. Chicago 2005.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Overmyer, Daniel: <em>Folk Buddhist Religion<\/em>. Harvard 1976.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\n<p class=\"iwg-bib-more\"><span data-nosnippet>Further standard works in the <a href=\"\/en\/literature\/\">literature index<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-egui-sec e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgca-egui-sec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" id=\"iwg-ca-e-gui\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgca-egui-te iwg-ca-textwrap elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgca-egui-te\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p class=\"iwg-ca-bridge\">The protective practice described here is a religious-studies appraisal of historical traditions. iWell Guard ties in with this cultural-historical line of wearable protective objects and represents a contemporary form of it. <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/about-iwell-guard-the-protective-pendant-in-detail\/?utm_source=iwell-guard.com&#038;utm_medium=text-link&#038;utm_campaign=schadwesen-tradition\">More about the iWell Guard \u2192<\/a><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>E Gui, ghost of the Chinese tradition E Gui is a ghost of the Chinese tradition. Hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. E-Gui (\u9913\u9b3c, hungry ghosts) are a class concept of Chinese Buddhism with roots in the Indian preta doctrine. They appear with thin necks, enormous bellies, and insatiable hunger as a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4561,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"E-Gui hungry ghost Buddhism","_yoast_wpseo_title":"E Gui: Ghost of the Chinese Tradition","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[112,79,93],"class_list":["post-5102","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-china","category-cultures","category-spirits"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>E Gui: Ghost of the Chinese Tradition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"E Gui\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"iWell Guard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-05T14:31:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/\",\"name\":\"E Gui: Ghost of the Chinese Tradition\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/geister_china_e-gui.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T12:21:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-05T14:31:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/geister_china_e-gui.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/geister_china_e-gui.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1536,\"caption\":\"Ghosts from the Chinese tradition.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Start\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"E Gui\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"iWell Guard\",\"description\":\"Schutz vor dunklen Einfl\u00fcssen\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ittermann electronic GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png\",\"width\":1182,\"height\":237,\"caption\":\"Ittermann electronic GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/pantip.com\\\/profile\\\/9367242\",\"https:\\\/\\\/micro.blog\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.diggerslist.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/about\",\"https:\\\/\\\/skitterphoto.com\\\/photographers\\\/2870314\\\/iwell-guard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/iwellguard.wordpress.com\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/06\\\/iwell-guard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/hub.docker.com\\\/u\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/bit.ly\\\/m\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/entre-vos-mains.alsace.eu\\\/profiles\\\/iwellguard\\\/activity\",\"https:\\\/\\\/gravatar.com\\\/reallybeded8fd34\",\"https:\\\/\\\/naijamatta.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.goodreads.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/profile.hatena.ne.jp\\\/iwellguard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/experiment.com\\\/users\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/wakelet.com\\\/@iWellGuard82270\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.chordie.com\\\/forum\\\/profile.php?id=2555664\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instapaper.com\\\/p\\\/17757966\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mapleprimes.com\\\/users\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/businesslistingplus.com\\\/profile\\\/iwell-guard\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/telegra.ph\\\/iWell-Guard-06-06\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pbase.com\\\/iwellguard\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/b.hatena.ne.jp\\\/iwellguard\\\/20260607#bookmark-4788405196491818882\",\"https:\\\/\\\/fliphtml5.com\\\/home\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/anyflip.com\\\/homepage\\\/cmiwl#About\",\"https:\\\/\\\/transfur.com\\\/Users\\\/iwellguard\",\"http:\\\/\\\/delphi.larsbo.org\\\/user\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/jobs.lajobsportal.org\\\/profiles\\\/8380803-iwell-guard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/md.chaosdorf.de\\\/s\\\/jfbe5SBdJD\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.lingvolive.com\\\/en-us\\\/profile\\\/9ecaeaca-ce11-4e51-9e71-01d55e2bff36\\\/translations\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fitday.com\\\/fitness\\\/forums\\\/members\\\/iwellguard.html\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.mymeetbook.com\\\/iwellguard\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pxhere.com\\\/en\\\/photographer-me\\\/5040798\",\"https:\\\/\\\/disqus.com\\\/by\\\/iwellguard\\\/about\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pastelink.net\\\/hjwciqwq\",\"https:\\\/\\\/pubhtml5.com\\\/homepage\\\/scjhn\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bitchute.com\\\/channel\\\/2O2eOKzNqujT\",\"https:\\\/\\\/audiomack.com\\\/iwellguard\"]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ralf Ittermann\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f\"},\"headline\":\"E Gui\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T12:21:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-05T14:31:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2606,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/en\\\/e-gui\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iwell-guard.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/geister_china_e-gui.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"China\",\"Cultures\",\"Spirits\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"description\":\"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"E Gui: Ghost of the Chinese Tradition","description":"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"E Gui","og_description":"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view","og_url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/","og_site_name":"iWell Guard","article_modified_time":"2026-06-05T14:31:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":1536,"url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/"},"author":{"name":"Ralf Ittermann","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f"},"headline":"E Gui","datePublished":"2026-04-21T12:21:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:31:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/"},"wordCount":2606,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui.webp","articleSection":["China","Cultures","Spirits"],"inLanguage":"en-US","description":"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/","name":"E Gui: Ghost of the Chinese Tradition","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui.webp","datePublished":"2026-04-21T12:21:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:31:12+00:00","description":"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui.webp","width":1024,"height":1536,"caption":"Ghosts from the Chinese tradition."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Start","item":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"E Gui"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/","name":"iWell Guard","description":"Schutz vor dunklen Einfl\u00fcssen","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Ittermann electronic GmbH","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ittermann-Logo-1182x237-1.png","width":1182,"height":237,"caption":"Ittermann electronic GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/pantip.com\/profile\/9367242","https:\/\/micro.blog\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.diggerslist.com\/iwellguard\/about","https:\/\/skitterphoto.com\/photographers\/2870314\/iwell-guard","https:\/\/iwellguard.wordpress.com\/2026\/06\/06\/iwell-guard\/","https:\/\/hub.docker.com\/u\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/iwellguard\/","https:\/\/bit.ly\/m\/iwellguard","https:\/\/entre-vos-mains.alsace.eu\/profiles\/iwellguard\/activity","https:\/\/gravatar.com\/reallybeded8fd34","https:\/\/naijamatta.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/profile.hatena.ne.jp\/iwellguard\/","https:\/\/experiment.com\/users\/iwellguard","https:\/\/wakelet.com\/@iWellGuard82270","https:\/\/www.chordie.com\/forum\/profile.php?id=2555664","https:\/\/www.instapaper.com\/p\/17757966","https:\/\/www.mapleprimes.com\/users\/iwellguard","https:\/\/businesslistingplus.com\/profile\/iwell-guard\/","https:\/\/telegra.ph\/iWell-Guard-06-06","https:\/\/pbase.com\/iwellguard\/iwellguard","https:\/\/b.hatena.ne.jp\/iwellguard\/20260607#bookmark-4788405196491818882","https:\/\/fliphtml5.com\/home\/iwellguard","https:\/\/anyflip.com\/homepage\/cmiwl#About","https:\/\/transfur.com\/Users\/iwellguard","http:\/\/delphi.larsbo.org\/user\/iwellguard","https:\/\/jobs.lajobsportal.org\/profiles\/8380803-iwell-guard","https:\/\/md.chaosdorf.de\/s\/jfbe5SBdJD","https:\/\/www.lingvolive.com\/en-us\/profile\/9ecaeaca-ce11-4e51-9e71-01d55e2bff36\/translations","https:\/\/www.fitday.com\/fitness\/forums\/members\/iwellguard.html","https:\/\/www.mymeetbook.com\/iwellguard","https:\/\/pxhere.com\/en\/photographer-me\/5040798","https:\/\/disqus.com\/by\/iwellguard\/about\/","https:\/\/pastelink.net\/hjwciqwq","https:\/\/pubhtml5.com\/homepage\/scjhn\/","https:\/\/www.bitchute.com\/channel\/2O2eOKzNqujT","https:\/\/audiomack.com\/iwellguard"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f","name":"Ralf Ittermann","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/073c0153e350a5005b68eb752b445fea71f6b24a26da9449ad7e155e6b446c9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ralf Ittermann"},"givenName":"Ralf","familyName":"Ittermann","jobTitle":"Gesch\u00e4ftsf\u00fchrer und redaktioneller Verantwortlicher","url":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/author\/claude\/","description":"Ralf Ittermann ist Gesch\u00e4ftsf\u00fchrer der Ittermann electronic GmbH und redaktioneller Verantwortlicher des iWell-Guard-Lexikons. Er verbindet langj\u00e4hrige Erfahrung in der Pr\u00e4zisionsfertigung mit medialer Praxis und religionsgeschichtlicher Quellenarbeit.","worksFor":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Ittermann electronic GmbH","url":"https:\/\/ittermann.de\/","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"K\u00f6hlergasse 16-18","postalCode":"99842","addressLocality":"Ruhla","addressCountry":"DE"}},"knowsAbout":["Religionsgeschichte","Mythologie","Mediale Praxis","Energetische Diagnostik","Schutzpraxis","Volksglauben","Westliche Esoterik"]},{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/"},"author":{"name":"Ralf Ittermann","@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ee2a27f1cac3406c7c6fb5820cb7349f"},"headline":"E Gui","datePublished":"2026-04-21T12:21:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-05T14:31:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/"},"wordCount":2606,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/e-gui\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/geister_china_e-gui.webp","articleSection":["China","Cultures","Spirits"],"inLanguage":"en-US","description":"E Gui, hungry ghosts in the Chinese calendar and folk belief. The Ghost Festival, offerings, and their place in the Buddhist-Daoist view"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5102"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7280,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5102\/revisions\/7280"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}